NASCAR Cancels Bubba Watson's General Lee: Confederate Flag Keeps 'Dukes Of Hazzard' Car Off Track

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR and track officials canceled plans to have pro golfer Bubba Watson drive the car from the television series "The Dukes of Hazzard" at Phoenix International Raceway because of concerns about a negative reaction to an image of the Confederate flag.

Watson was scheduled to drive the 1969 Dodge Charger, known as the "General Lee," on a parade lap before the March 4 Sprint Cup series race at Phoenix. The car has a large Confederate flag on its roof, just as it did when it appeared on the show.

"The image of the Confederate flag is not something that should play an official role in our sport as we continue to reach out to new fans and make NASCAR more inclusive," NASCAR spokesman David Higdon said in a statement Friday.

Higdon said it was a joint decision by officials with NASCAR, the racetrack, and track ownership group International Speedway Corp.

While the flag may not be welcome in an official capacity in NASCAR, it often can be seen flying from fans' vehicles in racetrack infields.

Reached Friday at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles, Watson said the car only has the flag on it because that's the way it looked on the show.

"Obviously, I don't stand for the Confederate flag," Watson said. "The Confederate flag was not used (in the show) for what people see it as today, so that's sad. But NASCAR was built on moonshining, so the show was built on moonshining. I thought it was fun. I didn't buy the car to get publicity; I bought it because I love it."

Watson recently bought the car at an auction for $110,000.

The photo on Watson's Twitter account shows him standing next to the car, and he drove it to the Phoenix Open earlier this month.

"Two days ago, they called my manager and said we can't do it, that NASCAR pulled the plug on it," Watson said. "They said the reason was the Confederate flag on top. I understand if I was using it in that form. But I bought because it's (number) 01, from the TV show, and who doesn't want a car that's been jumped (in a TV stunt)? The TV show was about moonshining, driving in the backwoods in those days."

Watson said he still will attend the Phoenix race, and still plans to let NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin caddy for him in the Par 3 tournament at the Masters.

"Me and Denny have been friends for a couple of years," Watson said. "I'll still go to the race, even though I can't drive around the race track."

___

AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

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Comments

[abellotte]

05:46 PM on 05/08/2012

OK, so from now on, any country that loses a war cannot fly that flag any more. OK, Russian lost in Afganistan so we can get rid of their old red flag, We lost in VN so I guess we should get rid of the Stars and Stripes as it offends people from VN, We beat Japan but we let them fly the Red Dot flag still, why, it offends me. They hit us for no reason without warning and they can still fly their offensive flag. Why? How many thousands of American Civil Rights were taken away from them in their suprise bombing of Pearl Harbor? Of course this is all toung in cheek but it just goes to show the stupidity with which we make decisions. But give it a try - every one who lost a war has to get rid of their old flag. Give it it try.

[bwdoherty]

01:27 PM on 02/21/2012

the fact that anyone even thought this was a good idea at any point is amazing!!

[Rooster Coburn]

10:15 AM on 02/22/2012

While my ancestors were Yankees and not Confederates I do not find anything offensive in the display of historical American flags. After all, it was/is the "Confederate States of America" or CSA for short.

[Michael V Miller]

09:48 AM on 02/21/2012

The flag on the General Lee is not the Stars and Bars but the battle flag that was a modification of St George's Cross.

[nyjjc]

10:52 PM on 02/20/2012

Much ado about nothing.

New Englanders - especially those from NH - fly the Gasden flag as a symbol of their New England heritage, which they are very proud of. However, the Gasden flag has been co-opted by the Tea Party, so does that make every New Englander a Tea Partier? The Gasden flag has been used by less than savory organizations - like the Klan - does that make the Gasden flag a symbol of racism?

People all over are proud of their heritage, and display it in different ways. Many southerners do so by flying the stars and bars. That doesn't make them racists any more than a person from New Hampshire flying the Gasden flag is a Tea Partier or a racist. For that matter, the Klan and other organizations like it fly the stars and stripes all the time as well. Should we have the same discussion that the stars and stripes is now a racist symbol because of that?

People are too sensitive nowadays. The General Lee is a pop-culture icon, and the stars and bars on the top of it merely indicate the fact that the Duke boys were "rebels" flouting authority. Anyone who sees this any other way is projecting and ignoring the lexicon from the TV show. Personally, I think the commenters accusing anyone of being "racist" for noting this and not overreacting are just plain ignorant.

[Publius67]

10:47 PM on 02/21/2012

No, it is not being "too sensitive" to object to a flag carried in battle against the United States by traitors. That is no heritage of which to be proud.

[nyjjc]

09:55 PM on 02/22/2012

You illustrate my point perfectly with your blatant overreaction.

[Brandy Dillensneider]

11:01 PM on 02/21/2012

I've never even heard of the Gasden flag and I have lived in New England my whole life. Of course, I am from the uber-liberal part of western Massachusetts nicknamed "The Happy Valley" so people in my area don't generally want to be associated with far more conservative NH.

[nyjjc]

09:57 PM on 02/22/2012

Gasden flag: A yellow flag with a coiled up snake on it with the phrase "Don't tread on me" written on it. If you haven't seen it, you aren't paying attention. I say this as a one-time Vermonter MORE than intimately aware of the goings on in New England.

[redhayze]

05:08 PM on 02/20/2012

The War of Northern Aggression was not about the Africans. The Confederate soldiers joined the Army because they were invaded by a hostile enemy. The majority of southern people didn't give a rats as* about the africans and did not own any. The free the slaves thing was introduced 3yrs into the war by Lincoln because the Northerners began to question what their sons were dying for. It's an insult to the brave men of the confereracy who died trying to protect their homeland to suggest that they died to protect the institution of slavery, it simply was not the case. They nor their flags represented slavery or racism. They represented States Rights which are granted by the Constitution and denied to them when they excercised those rights. Like it or not the choice to succeed from the Union was their right and they chose to do so, and then they were invaded and that is the real truth. Like it or not that is our history and no-one can change it.

[Publius67]

10:50 PM on 02/21/2012

What right were they trying to protect? Ask John Calhoun and William Yancy about it - it was expressly the right to keep their slaves & expand the institution unfettered to nascent states.

The duty of the Confederate soldiers was to their country. Instead they committed treason and fought against it.

[redhayze]

12:23 AM on 02/22/2012

You are wrong. They secceded from the union and formed a new country. The country called The Confederate States of America.

[Wiliam Prince]

01:34 AM on 05/22/2012

wrong moron, learn true history.

[Wiliam Prince]

01:33 AM on 05/22/2012

Good for you, and a very good and truthful answer to some of these nitwits

[redhayze]

04:42 PM on 02/20/2012

I challenge every Nascar fan who owns the Stars and Bars to show up Sunday in Daytona with it in hand. I hope to see it flying in every camera shot. This is yet another attempt by Nascar to insult the fanbase. The fans they are offending are the ones who brought them to the big dance. They have slowly but surely spat in the face of the people who made them great. They abandoned small southern communities who supported them when they were struggling to cater to people who hated Nascar before it was the " in" thing to do. Nascar is no longer real racing anyway. It's Rasslin with cars instead of Roid Monsters. You want to know who will win, watch the pre-race show, only an accident will prevent the sponsors from buying their wins so their logo ends up on camera. I hope every camera shot has the "Stars and Bar" flying in the background.

[James Everett]

11:11 PM on 02/21/2012

Actually, I would rather that no one show up, Bankrupt NASCAR. Who needs em !

[redhayze]

12:27 AM on 02/22/2012

I agree with that as well. I used to be an avid fan of Nascar, attending both races at Talledega for over 12 years and Atlanta too. They changed it all so much that I don't ever plan to go back.

[SWilliams3G]

08:04 AM on 02/26/2012

They're an audience who loudly booed our First Lady at a recent race, largely b/c she is black and/or don't agree with the views of her busband. She was there to simply promote NASCAR as a sport and try and help, and that is the 'thanks' she got.

Real classy; no wonder F1 is so much better :D

[Ferrariqx]

03:01 PM on 02/20/2012

The problem isn't the Confederate Flag. The problem is that it was always associated with efforts to block civil rights progress. If the symbol wasn't a constant backdrop to a racist past, it probably wouldn't be a problem. But the fact that it was used forever stains the symbol. That is a fact that will never change.

NEXT!

[James Everett]

09:43 PM on 02/21/2012

Your "American Flag" Suffers the same. Just look at any ARYAN ir Klan rally and you will see your "American Flag" prominently displayed along with the Confederate Battle flag.
NEXT

[earlyblue]

02:46 AM on 02/20/2012

Well done, NASCAR. The southern white, conservative rednecks won't like the decision but who cares. You did the right thing. Dukes of Hazzard sucked anyway.

[Ol-Classic]

10:13 AM on 02/20/2012

Well after noting a few of your posts and reply's it is quite obvious that earlyblue is always late and has proven his child like idiocy time and time again. But then again he has a place to vent as he is just a "northern white liberal fool"

[drumz]

02:29 PM on 02/20/2012

No, he like I see the symbol for what it represents, racism. You know, racists are the last ones to realize they are.

[earlyblue]

03:42 PM on 02/20/2012

Well, you got the northern white liberal part right. :) Hey, we love our cars, and car racing, here in Detroit too. Here is a good short article as to why the Confederate flag is offensive to many:
http://news.yahoo.com/why-waving-confederate-flag-offensive-210800419.html

[Hunter3203]

02:38 AM on 02/20/2012

The Confederate Battle Flag is just that, a battle flag. The individual Confederate officers and soldiers fought to protect themselves, their friends and their families, just as happens in all wars. Most major Civil War battles were fought on Confederate soil and the memories of those battles has been passed down from generation to generation. So it's no surprise that the Civil War is something that is still taken very seriously in the South. The fact that some groups who preach hate have adopted it as one of their symbols shouldn't prevent those who don't preach hate from displaying it for other purposes. After all, the KKK burns crosses but no one thinks displaying the cross is a sign of hate.

[Spartan112]

01:45 PM on 02/20/2012

No, but a burning cross is a sign of hate...your analogy doesn't really hold.

[ijustwannaregister]

12:37 PM on 02/21/2012

A lot of people think displaying a cross IS a sign of hate.

[Exfl]

11:29 PM on 02/19/2012

Thirty years ago when the Dukes of Hazard was on TV, displaying the Confederate Battle Flag was more a sign that you were a "rebel" than a racist. This changed because racists adopted it as a symbol for their causes and the result is that today it is perceived as a blatantly racist symbol. BTW, here in South Carolina I frequently see it in yards next to signs for republican political candidates. Go figure.

[earlyblue]

02:17 AM on 02/20/2012

Go figure? Conservative brains are incapable of understanding what is and what isn't racist.

[nyjjc]

09:38 PM on 02/20/2012

I disagree. There isn't much out there where you can find racists using this flag, nor has there been since the Dukes were on TV. The problem today is people are overly sensitive about practically everything, and if ONE person is offended, suddenly, a few more jump on the "offended" bandwagon, and then something must be banned to appease them.

As a northerner, I still see the flag as simply a symbol of being a rebel, and that's how I still see it being used mainly. Granted, I'm not down south very often, and maybe I'm missing something there, but it's doubtful I'm missing anything major, like a big Klan rally where they were all marching carrying it or something, because that sure would have made the news.

[Exfl]

11:08 PM on 02/20/2012

Go to this website and then look at the bottom of the page. Yes, these people do exist here in South Carolina, though they are a minority group of crazies.
http://www.theoriginalredneckshop.com/

[nightfly4257]

06:52 PM on 02/19/2012

Political Correctness gone stupid again. What is the deal, and how many none whites even watch NASCAR ?

[grant06]

08:45 PM on 02/19/2012

Nascar seems to think its worth not insulting people about it. I agree.

[aztecmother]

11:32 AM on 02/20/2012

I watch Nascar and have gone to a few races.. to tell you the truth I've never had any problems everyone acts right..

[akutan]

03:52 PM on 02/19/2012

I bet they would let hime drive the car in Charlotte, NC

[earlyblue]

02:25 AM on 02/20/2012

Unfortunately, you're probably right.

[Rheinbear]

03:33 PM on 02/19/2012

Last year the patriotic fans of the sprint cup hooted and jeered at American service men and their families because they attended a race with the first lady. I watch sprint and nationwide, and sometimes the trucks and I was embarrassed by their behavior.

[grant06]

08:46 PM on 02/19/2012

I was too. Thanks for speaking up.

[Exfl]

11:21 PM on 02/19/2012

...I'm a NASCAR fan too, but we do have to admit that some of the fan base is embarrassing.

[Rheinbear]

07:24 PM on 02/20/2012

Agreed. Thanks for the reply.

[Right Right]

03:21 PM on 02/19/2012

if it were a gang symbol, I am sure no one would say a darn thing

[jdmn17]

08:17 PM on 02/19/2012

It is a gang symbol, just the gang are white folks so that makes it ok for some

[lattedrinker]

11:37 PM on 02/19/2012

Ever hear of the KKK?

[Joseph DeLacy]

02:21 PM on 02/19/2012

Funny how people who would never be caught dead watching a NASCAR event are the most offended.

Do a pole of NASCAR fans who are offended by this and show the results.

[Rheinbear]

03:51 PM on 02/19/2012

Do a pole of nascar fans to find how many of them can spell poll.

[nyjjc]

07:45 PM on 02/19/2012

As an educated New Yorker and NASCAR fan who understands the fanbase is far more than the stereotypical "backwoods southern rednecks" most non-fans think comprise the fan base, I think you'd be far off the mark.

[xpub63]

08:03 PM on 02/19/2012

Nice comment...!

[grant06]

08:48 PM on 02/19/2012

If having a symbol of treason is important to Nascar fans then I suspect there is a quite a few American patriots who would love to "do a pole:" of Nascar fans.

[earlyblue]

02:36 AM on 02/20/2012

Maybe Joe DeLacy should be shipped to the North "Poll".